Containers



CONTAINERS Elmer Haslett, Forest Hills, N. Y.

Application October 20, 1953, Serial No. 387,289

7 Claims. (Cl. 229-8) This invention relates to containers in which articles may be stored and sold. It is well recognized that the attractiveness or visual appeal of the package in which articles are displayed for sale often is an important factor in the decision of the public to buy, but with relatively low priced articles, the cost of an attractive package is economically impractical.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved container which can exert a strong sales appeal for articles confined therein, which resembles an attractive book in appearance, which can carry information effectively displayed, about the articles confined therein on the faces and edge representing the covers and bound edge of a book, which will have adequate strength, and which will be relatively simple and inexpensive in construction, and easily opened or closed so that it can be repeatedly opened and closed without damage to it.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a top plan of a container constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same, the section being taken approximately along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the same, with the cover in open position, to show the interior space of the container;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the container in open position;

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a part of the container to show the fastener that holds the cover closed, the section being taken approximately along the line 66 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is another sectional elevation of the same, with the section taken approximately along the line 77 of Fig. 6 but before the fastener is bent over to secure the cover closed;

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a slight modification of the container, with the cover broken away to show the interior of the container;

Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of a part of the same,

, the section being taken approximately along the line 99 1 to 7, the container includes a sheet of corrugated cardboard which is bent intermediate of its ends on transverse, spaced parallel lines into a U-shape so as to provide a front cover 1, a rear cover 2 and a back wall 3, which create two dihedral angles along the sheet. Upon the inside face of the rear cover 2 is an upstanding strip 4 of corrugated cardboard, also bent into a U-shape, so as to have a wall or leg 5 extending along the top edge of the inside face of the back cover 2, then the wall represent- I ing the base of the U extending along the free side edge of the; rear cover 2 on its inside face, and its other wall or leg 7 extending along the lower end edge of the inside face of the rear cover 2. The end wall or leg 7 has its free end bent angularly at 8, so as to lie along the back wall 3 when the covers are closed, and then its free end in turn is bent angularly at 9, so as to extend towardthe wall or leg 6 in a direction parallel to leg 7. The wall or leg 4 has its bottom edge bent lengthwise to form an angle bar shape with flange 10 extending inwardly so as to abut flat against the inside face of the back cover 2, and the wall or leg 6 has its bottom edge bent laterally to form a flange, 11 which also abuts flat against the inside face of the back cover 2.

The wall or leg 7 has its bottom edge bent laterally to form a flange 12 which abuts flat against the inside face of the back cover 2. The short wall or leg 8 is also bent laterally at its bottom edge, so as to provide a flange 13 which abuts flat against the inside face of the back cover 2. The wall or part 9 is also bent inwardly at its bottom edge to form a flange 14, which abuts flat against the inside face of the back cover 2. These flanges 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are secured by staples 15, or in any other satisfactory manner, to the inside face of the back cover 2, with the walls or parts 5, 6 and 7 spaced slightly from the adjacent edges of the back cover 2 by approximately the same amount of space that exists between the edges of the pages of a book and the outer marginal edges of the covers.

The flanges 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 will have their corners beveled off where two adjacent sections form a corner. This strip 4 and the covers and the back edge of the book provide-a box or container in which articles may be displayed or stored, and the space between the parts 6, 7, 8 and 9 forms a separate compartment 16 in which a bottle or other objects may be placed so as to be restrained in a selected part of this space. One may also secure other strips 4 in this same manner to the rear cover 2 in order to divide the space up into different selected compartments, if one so desires. The free end edge of the wall or leg 5 is made slightly arcuate and convex as at 17 so that it will closely conform to the shape of the rear wall 3 of the container.

A U-shaped metal fastener 18, see Figs. 6 and 7, straddles the upper edge of the leg 6, approximately midway between its ends, and has two upstanding spaced lugs 19. This member 18 may be secured to the leg 6 in any suitable manner, such as by a staple 20 which passesthrough the leg 6 and apertures 21 in the front and rear legs of the member 18. The cover 1 of the container has an aperture 22 which is aligned with the member 18 when the cover is closed, so that the legs 19 may pass upwardly through this aperture 22 and then be bent over to hold the cover in closed position. i

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 8, the strip 4 is replaced by a strip 23 of cormgated' cardboard which is bent into rectangular form, with a wall or leg 24 extending along the upper edge of the inside face of the back cover 2, in the same position as the leg 5-of Fig. 4. It also has a wall or leg 25 extending along the free side edge of the cover 2, in the same position as the wall or leg 6 of Fig. 4. It also has a wall or leg 26 which occupies the same position as the wall or leg 7 of Fig. 4. It has also a wall or leg 27 which replaces legs 8 and 9 of Fig. 4 and which connects the ends of legs 24 and 26. These legs 24, 25, 26 and 27 have flanges 28 on the lower edges which abut flat against the inside face of the cover 2, and are secured thereto by staples, or cement, or in any other suitable manner. This provides a complete enclosure to define the storage space which exists even though the cover is opened, and this storage space may be subdivided by partition walls of corrugated carboard, if desired. M

In Fig. 8 the cover may be secured in closed position '3 as in Figs. 1 to 7, but a slight modification of the fastener is illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. In this case the metal fastener 29 is U-shaped with its legs straddling the wall 25 along its free edge, and about'midway of its length, and the legs of thismember 29 are ofdifferent lengths as shown inFig; 9. The free end of each leg of this member 29 isturned inwardly at 30 to form an inwardly extending tongue that bites into theleg or wall 25 when the legs of the member29 are pushed together after being placed in straddling position over'the wall or leg 25. This locks the fastener member 29 in position without use of the staple 20 of the Figs. 6 and 7. This member 29 has a pair of spaced upstanding lugs 31, which extend upwardly through the aperture 22 of the cover, andthen may be bent over, as shown by dash lines in Fig. 10, upon the upper face of the cover 1 in order to secure the cover in closed position.

It will be observed that this container is made of very inexpensive materials and is assembled by simple operations. Because of the corrugated cardboard construction, all of the walls are exceptionally rigid, yet light in weight. The outside faces of the covers 1 and 2 and back wall 3, may have decorative printing thereon, and also any message or advertising matter, such as one finds upon the faces of the covers and back or bound edge of a book. This advertising matter would usually refer in some manner to the contents of the container, and such containers maybe placed on book shelves, or arranged in stacks, or in the manner of books on a shelf or mantle, such as in a row between book ends.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the inventiornmay be made by those skilled in the art, within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container resembling and opening like a book, comprising a sheet of corrugated cardboard folded upon spaced transverse lines about midway of its length, into a U-shape to represent the covers and bound edge wall of a book, a strip of corrugated cardboard extending along but spaced slightly from the marginal edge of the inside face of that part of the sheet representing the back cover, between the ends of the bound edge wall portions, said strip having bent over flanges along its side edge which abuts said inside face, lying along said inside face and attached thereto, the width of said strip, as it upstands from said inside face being approximately equal to the distance from arm to armof the U of the covers, and a fastening device releaseably coupling the free edge, at the outer end of the U, of the portion of the sheet representing the front cover to the upstanding wall of said strip.

2. A container having the appearance of and opening like a book, comprising a sheet of relatively stitf,'but foldable material folded upon spaced lines transversely of its length into aU-shape, whose portions resemble the front and back covers and bound back wall of a book, a strip of relatively stiff but bendable sheet material extendingalong and spaced slightly from the marginal edge of the inside face of the back cover portion from one end of said back wall portion to the other, and having bent standing edge of said strip.

3. A container having the appearance of and opening like a book, comprising a-sheet of relatively stiff, but foldable material folded upon spaced-lines transversely t of its length into a U-shape, whose portions resemble the front and back covers and bound back wall ,of'a book, a

strip of relatively stiff but bendable sheet material extending along. and spaced slightly from the marginal edge of the inside face of the back cover portion from one end of said back wall portion to the other, and having bent over flanges along its side edges which abut and are attached to said inside face, the width of said strip as it upstands from said inside face being approximately equal to the distance between the front'and back cover portions, and a metal fastener straddling and attached to the free side edge of said strip and having an upstanding bendable prong extending from said edge in a direction normal to that edge and parallel to the planes of the faces of said strip along said free side edge, and said cover portion along its free edge portion having an aperture from face to face where it overlies said free edge portion and said fastener through which aperture said prong may extend and be bent over to lock the cover portion in closed position.

4. A container resembling and opening like a book, comprising a sheet of corrugated cardboard having two dihedral angles at intervals along its length to give it a U-shape, with'flat sides corresponding to the covers of a book connected by a bottom part corresponding to the back of a book, a wall of relatively stiff sheet material extending along the inside face of one of said fiat sides from adjacent one end to the other of the bottom part and in close proximity to the free marginal edges of said one side, said wall being disposed'with a margin thereof abutting edgewise against said one side and its faces normal to the said inside face, and having a height approximately equal to the distance between said fiat sides adiacent to said bottom part, said wall having laterally extending flange portions along that edge thereof which abut said inside face,'and disposed fiat against and connected to said inside face, and a fastener between the free edge of said wall and the other of said fiat sides.

5. The container as set forth in claim 4, and having said wall of corrugated cardboard, said wall at one of its ends adjacent said bottom part extending along said bottom part and then away from said bottom part to form a subdivided chamber in said container which is closed .bysaid other of said fiat sides.

6. A container resembling and opening like a book,

comprising front and rear walls disposed in face to face,

but spaced apart, relation to each other and connected along corresponding edges by a back wall, said walls all being an integral sheet of transversely bent, corrugated cardboard, a strip of corrugated cardboard disposed along and adjacent to the free marginal edge portions of the inside face of the rear wall, edgewise and normal to that inside face, and having lateral flange portions along its edge which abuts said inside face and are secured to said rear wall, and a fastener detachably coupling said front wall to the free edge portion of said strip.

7. The container as set forth in claim 6, and having one end of said strip where it is adjacent'said back wall, also extending approximately parallel to said back wall for a short distance toward the otherend of said strip, then in a direction away from said back wall to approximately the portion of the strip along that edge thereof which is approximately parallel to and furthest from said back wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 195,685 Wolf Sept. 25, 1877 696,468 McFadden Apr. 1, 1902 738,098 Chichester Sept. 1, 1903 757,827 Middleton Apr. 19,1904 1,354,042 -Hunziker Sept. 28, 1920 1,709,685 Rothrock Apr. 16, 1929 2,342,564 Van Saun Feb. 22, 1944 2,521,090 Pinkstatf Sept. 5, 1950 2,605,039 Deline July 29, 1952 

